Entry Number: 10
Film: Rear Window
Year Of Release: 1954
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Rating: ?
*Warning: Major spoilers*
If you haven't, go watch this movie first, and then come back to this review.
Hitchcock is the master of suspense, but he is just as well known as a master of horror. And when you ask someone what the most terrifying moment in Hitchcock's body of work is, they will probably respond the shower scene in Psycho, or maybe the quite underrated scene on the stairs from the same movie. Some will probably respond the nightmare in Vertigo, and others may respond the silent jumpscare from The Birds. But for me, there's a scene that terrifies me every time I see it, and it's one I feel doesn't get enough credit.
The scene I'm talking about is from Hitchcock's classic 1954 thriller Rear Window. In Rear Window, we follow L.B. Jefferies, a journalist who has broken his leg, and is therefore forced to sit in his apartment all day. He keeps himself entertained by watching the people in the other apartments through his window. One day, he notices that one of his neighbors named Thorwald has been rather suspicious, and convinces himself that Thorwald has murdered his own wife.
The scene I'm talking about happens after Thorwald finds out that L.B. has been spying on him the whole time. Deciding to take action, Thorwald breaks into Jeffries' apartment, with intent to kill, and Jefferies being unable to escape. On a rewatch of this film, I was asking myself: What makes this scene so terrifying?
Well, first of all, we have to look at how this scene is made. I have always felt that this scene was a perfect example of Hitchcock's mise en scene mastery. The scene starts when Jefferies, sitting in the darkness, realizes that Thorwald isn't in his own apartment, and he quickly concludes that something is wrong. The phone then rings, and Jefferies picks it up thinking that it's his friend Tom. He says that he thinks Thorwald has left his apartment, but is met with silence. It's then he realizes that he just answered Thorwald's call, and that Thorwald now knows that Jefferies has been spying on him. We then hear loud, menacing steps from outside. For a good 2 minutes, we see Jefferies try to escape the apartment while the steps grow louder. The door is then opened, and Thorwald steps into the apartment.
Let's look at the mise en scene in this scene. The most terrifying part of this scene is in my opinion the use of sound. The most notable piece of sound design is of course the menacing steps, but the use of silence is also quite amazing, especially the silence on the telephone. The lighting in this scene is also exceptional, with the whole scene happening in the pitch black darkness. The only light we see in the whole scene is actually the light on Thorwald's eyes when he steps into the apartment, masterfully highlighting the terrifying look of anger and fear in his eyes. Hitchcock also positions the camera in a way where Jefferies looks small and helpless, while Thorwald looks like a big frightening monster from your worst nightmares.
While you could write the fright of this scene down to the mise en scene, I feel that doesn't really justify it. I think to get the full picture of why this scene is so good, we have to put it into context of the whole film.
If you know Hitchcock, you probably know the quote "I enjoy playing my audience like a piano." I think the reason this is such a famous quote is that it perfectly explains why Hitchcock was so great. And if you don't understand why it so perfectly explains Hitchcock's mastery, I think you need to watch Rear Window, as it's his best film when it comes to suspense. Let's look at how he manipulates the audience in this film.
Rear Window is a very unique film, as the entire film takes place in one room, that room being Jefferies' apartment. Everywhere Jefferies goes, the audience goes, and since Jefferies can't leave his apartment, the audience never leaves the apartment. And since everything suspensful happens outside the apartment, Jefferies' apartment almost becomes a comfort zone for the audience, and when Thorwald breaks into the apartment, he breaks into the audience's comfort zone. So, is this what makes the scene so terrifying? You can boil it down to that, but I say we should dig even deeper.
I think one of the best things about Rear Window is that the whole thing is a really poignant metaphor. A good portion of the film is made out of Jefferies (and the viewer) watching his eccentric neighbors. We have a lonely piano player, the voluptuous Miss Torso, the lonely Miss Lonelyhearts, and of course Thorwald. Being stuck in your apartment during the warmest summer in years is clearly not that exciting, and therefore, Jefferies watches his neighbors through his window for entertainment. Doesn't that remind you of something? Well, it should, as it is the exact thing you are doing when you are watching Rear Window, or any film for that matter.
Yes, you heard me: Rear Window is a metaphor for cinema. This is something we are told from the title credits, which are set to the curtains of Jefferies' windows rolling up like the big red curtain that used to roll up before movies started. Jefferies' window is like the screen we watch movies on, one that we look at (or through in Jefferies' case) for entertainment and excitement. Jefferies even uses a camera to spy on Thorwald! And if this isn't proof enough for you that Rear Window is a metaphor, then let me lay down how each character is their own piece of a film. The piano player is the soundtrack, Miss Torso is the eye-candy, Miss Lonelyhearts is the drama, and Thorwald is the mystery. Jefferies basically has a Hitchcock film in his backyard when you think about it.
And there we have it. The key to why that one scene is so terrifying. If the apartment is like the room the viewer views the film in, the scene where Thorwald breaks into the apartment is like a character from the film you are watching breaking through the screen. So, that's the review, right? Well, I want to take a quick look at what Hitchcock is trying to say about cinema with this film. From what I have written as of now, it almost seems like Hitchcock is only saying "cinema is good entertainment", which feels a bit out of character for one of the greatest directors of all time.
There's one important aspect of Rear Window I have not adressed yet. When we put the murder mystery to the side, Rear Window is actually a love story. L.B. Jefferies is deeply in love with Lisa Fremont, played by the gorgeous Grace Kelly. Lisa wants to marry, but Jefferies doesn't, even though he loves her. The thing is that Jefferies is a journalist and Lisa is a woman from a rich family. He feels their different lifestyles won't work together, and therefore, they can't get married.
Before the murder mystery comes into play, most of the film is made out of Lisa and Jefferies arguing about if marriage is the right choice. When Jefferies becomes infatuated with the question of wether Thorwald is a murderer or not, he finally gets these thoughts about marriage off his mind. He isn't really distracting himself, but rather giving himself a break in a weird way. Of course, everyone else thinks he is distracting himself with the mystery, especially Lisa who continues to try to talk with him about marriage. But with one perfectly placed zoom, she too becomes infatuated. Now here's the important thing: After that zoom, Lisa and Jefferies don't argue one second more about marriage. It's like the mystery doesn't only give them a break from these thoughts, but also solves the problem by proving that it really doesn't need to be rushed.
And it's here the brilliant message of Rear Window comes into play. The purpose of cinema as entertainment is that it can bring us into a new world where all our problems don't matter. A good piece of cinematic entertainment should act like an escape from all your problems. If the entire neighborhood in Rear Window is a film, and Jefferies and Lisa are the viewers, then this is what we see happen to them. Because after a good piece of thrilling and entertaining cinema, everything becomes a bit easier. And the fact that a film about the importance of cinema is a glorious piece of cinema itself is the final nail in the coffin to why this is Hitchcock's masterpiece, and one of the most perfect films ever made.
Rating: 10/10
Next Review: La Dolce Vita
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